Deseronto could cease to exist in a matter of years if it follows a Tyendinaga Mohawk Council request to halt all development on the Culbertson Tract, the town's mayor said Thursday. "We don't have much money to begin with. If we can't develop in the land claim area Deseronto may not exist in five to 10 years," Norm Clark said at a Hastings County council meeting.
The comment came at the start of an emotional speech in which he urged county staff and fellow councillors to ignore a request made by the band council more than a year ago.
In December 2006, the band sent the county a copy of a resolution its council passed, urging the county to prohibit any development on the Culbertson Tract while land claim negotiations are proceeding.
The topic of that resolution resurfaced Thursday in a letter included for information purposes in the meeting's agenda.
Clark took it as an opportunity to update council on his town's concerns over the federal government's handling of Culbertson Tract negotiations.
The government recently began negotiating on how best to return the 923-acre parcel of land, which includes 60 per cent of the town of Deseronto, to Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.
Clark said the town will continue to operate on a "business as usual" approach until the federal government says otherwise. But he also expressed concern that the slow nature of negotiations are putting stress on residents, who are unsure howtheir homes and businesses will be affected in the long run.
He fears there will be confrontations between natives and non-natives.
"We're now having residents coming to us and saying, 'You can't talk, you have to take action,' " he said.
Clark also said he and his council are becoming increasingly stressed over the lack of clarity of how the negotiations are proceeding.
The town was previously told that no properties will be turned over to Mohawk control unless it happens on a willing-buyer, willing-seller scenario. The town was also previously told the band will receive compensation from the federal government for any land that can't be returned.
Now Clark's doubting whether that really is the case.
"The government has always said they won't take any land away - they won't buy land, take land or expropriate land," he said in an interview, following the meeting. "Now we're hearing rumours that might not be the situation."
"We're meeting with the negotiating team on June 5 and the first question I'm going to ask is, is it a financial compensation or is land involved in this settlement? If the federal government's willing to give back land, they may have to give back the whole of Deseronto."
But even if land isn't returned, Clark is still worried about the short-term future of the town.
He said his council had difficulty passing a balanced budget this year, as the uncertainly of the town's future and a rash of recent protests have scared developers from starting new projects.
"After this year I don't know where we're going to be. We don't have any new developments, we don't have any new housing developments, so we're not bringing in any extra tax dollars. I'm not sure how many more years we can get through a balanced budget.
"You try to stay positive, but it's getting harder and harder."
He also said his council is urging residents to stay calm, fearing that some will begin to confront native demonstrators if more protests occur at development sites or road blocks
"There's a feeling that confrontation is right, because talking seems to be getting us nowhere," he said. "As mayor and council, we're trying to tell the people, 'Let the negotiations continue, don't take action into your own hands.' "
Clark's speech struck a chord with several county officials.
"Your concerns are the county's concerns," chief administrative officer Jim Pine said, explaining the county will not act on the band's request because it has a legal obligation to make improvements to county-owned buildings on tract land.
Bancroft Mayor Lloyd Churchill presented a motion to draft a letter to both the federal and provincial governments to inform them about how the lengthy settlement process is hurting the county.
Although the province recently appointed a negotiator to help out with the process, Churchill said the land claim is no closer to being settled than when it first emerged about 10 years ago.
"It's hurting us financially, but it's also hurting us socially," he said. "Although I think they get tired of us sending them letters I think it's important we draft one to both the federal government as well as the premier of this province, because I think he's been a gutless wonder in terms of doing anything about the native issues in this province."
The motion to draft the letters passed unanimously.